Not-so-funny comeback: Jay Leno hits cop car as he arrives at his first stage performance following fiery accident

Famed comedian Jay Leno has struck again, but this time, no one's laughing. At least not heartily.

As he has regularly for the last three decades or so, Leno, 72, pulled up to the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California, on Sunday night to perform two shows in front of a live audience. Leno, who hosted the "Tonight Show" for 17 years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, often used these weekly live performances to test joke material before including it on his TV show.

However, the shows on Sunday were particularly special for Leno and his fans. They would be the first time Leno, who now hosts a show called "Jay Leno's Garage," appeared on stage after he was seriously injured in a gas fire earlier this month. On November 12, Leno was in his garage working on one of his classic cars when some gasoline ignited, causing second- and third-degree burns on Leno's face, hands, and chest.

Shortly after the fire, Leno released a statement, saying, "I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet."

Leno then spent 10 days and endured at least two surgical procedures in the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles. After he was discharged on November 21, his physician, Dr. Peter Grossman, told reporters that Leno was a "strong individual" who was "doing very well."

Last Sunday was supposed to represent Leno's grand return. The club had posted a sign that read "Welcome Back Jay. We Love You," and dozens of reporters and photographers were there awaiting his arrival. In true car-guy style, Leno pulled up in a sleek-looking Tesla, with his supportive wife Mavis in the passenger seat.

But as he steered his vehicle into the spot in front of the club entrance, Leno accidentally clipped the tire of one of the cop cars on hand for the performance.

Always the comedian, Leno alighted from his vehicle and joked that "the elephant man is here." He and the cops then examined the police Jeep, and all involved determined that there was no visible damage done. The cops on hand openly stated that the accident was "no big deal."

Leno eventually entered the club and put on the performances as planned, repeatedly poking fun at himself and his recent fiery garage mishap. The burns on his face and hands were visible but appeared to be healing, as medical teams had reported.

"No, we got two shows tonight," Leno told the crowd of onlookers. "Regular and extra crispy! Never thought of myself as a roast comic! Thank you, thank you, goodnight.

"I got burned," he humbly continued. "I was in hospital for a few days, and now I’m back out working again. People do that every day!"

Jay and Mavis will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary this Wednesday.